NBA2K17

[Leisher]

Yay Humble Bundle monthly subscription!

Go this game and a dozen others for $12 and have been playing the MyCareer mode. It's, literally, the only part of these games I play because you make yourself, and then have a career in the NBA. It's like an RPG meets a sports game.

This time around they have gone all out on the story mode. That means LOTS of cut short cut scenes.

You start in college (can only pick from 8 schools) and play a couple of games there to determine your draft position. Once you're selected by a team you're a bench player until you prove you deserve to be in the starting lineup. That comes rather quickly thanks to easily achieved teammate ratings (Hint: Just do a lot of screens.) even if you're stats don't warrant the promotion.

The story itself is about you, a college one and done, along with a guy named Justice Young (played by Michael B. Jordan), a four year senior, joining the same team. Justice is under 6' and doesn't like you initially. Eventually, you bond and you're off to try and win a title.

Here's the thing... Playing with Justice Young SUCKS. He is AI with cheat mode on. He will hit open 3s about 90% of the time. The team loves passing to him, and don't particularly love passing to you, mainly because you suck. This is worse because the defense loves shutting you down, but will leave him wide open for 3s.

Here's the big kicker, and something I just discovered last night surfing some forums, your character will NEVER be as good as him. In addition, your character will have hidden hot and cold streaks. These streaks not only affect your shooting, but your teammates will refuse to pass to you based on your shooting percentages for PREVIOUS FUCKING GAMES. So not only does the game intentionally sabotage you, it tells your teammates to sabotage you again based on that previous sabotage. There are tons of people on the interwebs bitching that their 3 shooting skill is in the 80s or 90s and they miss wide open 3s non-stop.

It doesn't matter what difficulty level you choose, this mechanic is in the game. Now 2K claims the mechanic doesn't exist, but rather if you take "bad shots" and miss your player will THEN start to get cold. Let's say that does exist that way. Why the fuck does the opposing defense make guarding me a priority at all times? I, literally, sprint everywhere and take advantage of picks, yet nobody throws me the ball and if they do, I miss wide open shots. Meanwhile, you watch as Justice, and the rest of your team, drops 3s from all over the court. They're draining shots with a guy in their face with tons of time left to pass, and if I do that I miss and get a bad shot rating.

What fun!!

Let me add to the misery here and really get you on my side. There's a shot meter under your player that draws ALL of your attention. Meter goes up and you shoot when it's full. RIGHT? That's the formula for sports games since day fucking 1. It even turns green when you hit it perfect. However, here the developers have admitted the meter is basically inaccurate and you shouldn't use it.

Fuck you 2K.

This also affects 2 point shots, particularly when you're in the paint and YOU CAN'T FUCKING SEE YOUR HANDS. Yeah, why would a shot meter be important?

Again, fuck you 2K.

Did you hope to be Rookie of the Year? Tough shit. You have almost no chance as your rookie teammate is dropping 45 points a night without trying.

I do want to give it credit though because if you ever wanted to understand why Kyrie Irving wanted out of Cleveland, you should play this game. This game was made for people who want to be the second fiddle. Who wants to be the hero right? Every boy grows up dreaming of being Alfred, not Batman...

This bullshit actually destroys the entire story, which should be about you enjoying a lot of fame and wealth and dealing with that. Instead it tries to tell that story while you have a teammate that is light years better than you right out of the gate. Weird how shoe companies aren't lined up to sign the rookie leading the league in scoring...

Also, prepare for repetitive practice three times a day. The rewards of which go completely unexplained anywhere in the game. You also have a court in your home and players drop by without notice to play. More practice! Allen Iverson does not approve. I will tell you that around midway through the season, you can stop going as you will no longer reap rewards.

Now it's not ALL bad because I have been getting triple doubles, lots of double doubles, and generally score 20+ points a game. I can draw a foul better than anyone.

I'm halfway through the season already, so I'm going to finish this season, but it'll be coming off my PC after that.

It's actually fun until you get sick of Justice. Too much hidden shit, too little explanation, and not enough of an opportunity to shine. I do love the attempt on the story mode though. Pretty awesome.

[Leisher]

Just a warning: Do NOT buy NBA2K18.

Apparently, despite being a AAA title with a full retail price, they went full on P2W (Pay to Win). Everything in the game costs real world cash to unlock.

Check the Steam reviews, which are "Mostly Negative".